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Guess faith wasn’t with SIMEONE this time; losing one of his key player right after the start of the match, taking the lead before half time, just a minute away from making history and then the painful conceding in injury time.

I have to admit that I was gutted too as after that it was all going in Real Madrid’s way and you know they rest they say is history.

However I won’t take anything away from Ángel di MARIA; whom had a splendid night as for the most part he was the best player on the field for Real. Therefore it was only fitting that if he didn’t score, he should at least have a say it one of Real’s goal scored during the night.

It was his trickery and defiant run, beating the likes of TIAGO and MIRANDA which lead to setting up Gareth BALE’s header to put Real in the lead in extra time. Based on his overall performance, it wasn’t a surprise to most of us that he was named as Man of the Match.

“It’s an amazing relief. I can’t believe what we have achieved this year,” SportYou reports the Argentina international as saying.

“We could have done the treble but we missed the League at the end. This team has a lot of balls and a lot to give yet.”

José SOSA who was on the bench, came in the 66th minute but had little impact for Atlético. As for SIMEONE, despite of this defeat; all I can say he has well exceeded everyone’s expectation.

With that said, on behalf of every one of us in Mundo….

VAMOS ANGEL, CAMPEÓN DE EUROPA & BEST PLAYER OF THE NIGHT!!!

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to be honest any thing but victory is a failure to me, we are ARGENTINA and we are blessed with amazing players over the years but sadly some inept coaching and add a little bad luck had denied us in the past.

Pradi, Simeone loses one match and he's not fit to coach Argentina? AM played without 2 of chief attacking players Costa and Arda Turan, and that's one important factor you probably didn't even analyse. Whereever Simeone coached he has been a success. Mind you, he's never had world class players at his disposal as a coach. Now Imagine what he can do if coached our world class players?

by the way, im not a cr7 hater...i have praised him often..but, the finals captured truly what cr7 is...120 minutes did nothing, and when the game was won by his teamates he scored a penalty and felt he was the hero...

against bayern too, his team was already winning the series 3 0 before he did showed up...up against borussia, the team was winning 2 0 before he score a goal...always, cr7 does nothing except obsessed with scoreing and not scoring until his teamsmates rescue the team

sabella is also very defensive minded, remember the fab 4 only happened because of injury's and messi insisted it stayed.the fab 4 is not a seballa plan, look at the players he pickes, a lot of defensive minded players and differently no "old school" no 10, so far it has worked to perfection for sabella and soon we will know if it works in the w/c.

simeone will be a good n/t manager when his chance comes but for now sabella has his chance and sabella will be going no where if he wins the w.c.

what simeone has done at ath.m is ineradicable when you look at what he has to work with and the losses of key players every season to bigger clubs with more $$.next season he loses costa as an example.

This was s de best chance for atleti to win CL, wud b a very fitting end to their really hard working season... We cant expect even simeone cant expect the same dedication from them next season, they may work hard but doubt in de level thay played this season... They played like this is de end of de world in dis season, doubt they repeat de same again next season... The best thing simeone can do this summer is get some young, low cost, talented players, increase de number f squad n rotate...

Guys... Please understand clearly what i m saying.. I was saying this for some time here, not on de basis of this single game... So many frnds here were desperate here for sabella to get replaced by simeone... I love to see simeone as NT coach, i whole heartedly accept him, he is a great tactician n motivator, nd i hope he will do good job when he get a chance coz he is got good football brilliance, but what i m saying is we cant expect de type f game he showing us through atleti in NT... They r playing very intense game, de main reason for their defensive record is not only their back 4 its their high pressing, they jst not give de opposition space in midfield to kick start their game, did u guys see any f real final 3 for about 70-75 mins f game, atleti just thrown them out f game thru contionous pressing, and when de game reached dying minutes atleti players were out of gas n when game went to extra time it is sealed that atleti lost de game coz none f them left anything in their cylinders... Can u imagine our NT players playing like that for 90 mins, IMO de only players we can atleast expect that kind f energy in present squad is masch, zaba, biglia n may be lavezzi... No one else... And if that too in WC or copa america jst aftr 2 or 3 games, our players will b only shadows of their own... I m jst saying his atleti style wont succed in our NT... And about sub i dnt think its a mistake, i think he protected carded raul garcia... The mistake i felt is usually they try to make count every time they get de ball, bt that game they tried to held that score line, may be tried to conserve energy, but that is the thing back fired them atlast imo, gone too defensive at 80s...

Pradi, risky move no doubt... but that is what made atletico OUT EXCEED all expectations...a year ago they were eliminated from the euro cup, for sending the goolie to head in the minute 94, when there was a still the game back to play... it was a stupid simone move, but it captures the reason why atletico did so great this season... every minute counted...

i do have a criticism for simeone, sosa should have come in for adrian... atletico was tired, their only chance to win was to defend harders, and adrian is not a good forward or defender...

Simeone is a great coach and what he did to atleti is exceptional, no doubt about that... But what i said is his atleti style f football wont succeed at NT... Argentine physicality wont b satisfying for his style, shud b need f any african countries... And about costa, simeone know very well how much physical is their game, heard that atleti has special diet before game n after game something like that, and considering the importance of game if costa is not match fit it's a pure gamble, risky move to start him...

I have no much hopes on simeone's argentina career... By 80 mins or something atleti players completely exhausted... Also simeone wasted one sub by starting costa, if dat sub remained one fresh legs at dying mins might hav saved them from equaliser... I cant see success in NT with his style f play, may he do wonders at friendlies because of unlimited sub option, but at a tournament like copa or WC, never... But if he become NT coach, i hope he has a good head n realising the conditions he will select an approach that suit our players... Bt i feel apart frm player selection sabella is de best coach we have now... Tata - i cant predict de outcome, pochettino - style suits but defensive records r not impressive, simeone - good tactition n motivator but style not suit...

"banega on his day destroyed barcalona on his own we have the best squad its that simple" - loved it loved it.i wanted this champion to rise high but . . . but . . . anywayz no probs there is chance even now. Comeon Banega.

Bad news for Kidulthood, Chile has now lost it's sixth player due to injury (Hernandez). That's sad for Chile and their chances to progress beyond the group phase. It's not unlikely that both Van Gaal and Del Bosque can outwit Chile with tactics and positioning. They have seen and analysed excellent test matches from the Santiago brigade and will know it's weak spots. Without so many good players Chile will be vulnerable.

Hopefully Falcao can make it for Colombia and Suarez for Uruguay, otherwise other south American teams will struggle to progress.

Agree with Jack. No way Sabella can put his nose in Don business. Despite all those money making process Sabella came up with best selection so far I have seen last few coaches. Even best balanced team we have this time including 2006WC

You really believe Sabella can tell Don Julio and the AFA, NO? Haha. Man... As for the England-Argentina game, there was never an official agreement, Argentina then signed a US tour for those games, Ecuador and Bosnia. England went with Chile and Germany. Argentina took home most of the money for those games. You fail to realize the national team is a money making machine. As for Scolari saying "no", those were home based sides. Like I said, a coach does not have the power, if the AFA or the CBF wanted that game to happen, it would've happened. The head of the federation gets the last word, not the manager.

@Jack!: Friendlies get processed through AFA communication but the manager can deny or suggest such a friendly based on his goals for this type of games. England manager refused to face Argentina in a friendly game and went for another team, same with Scolari who refused to face Argentina in a friendly game. Some friendlies come through requests by two AFA but if the manager sees no point of going through, he can say NO.

That is a pretty foolish thing to say. Sabella does not select the friendlies, that is up to the AFA. You think Sabella has any say in who he is going to play in a friendly? It is all about who the AFA can the most out of, and I mean dollars and cents. I think arg2014 is here just to stir things up and try to rile up the fans. Nothing but antagonizing, but according to him "it is his opinion and he is just being honest". From the first day he signed up here he has done nothing but stir the pot.

pep: I was mostly talking about the world cup where the audience will be up to 6 billion viewers not European football..Denelson (Brazil) never made it in Europe but the entire world knew who Denelson was after he won the world cup..

maraDON I agree with you, we do have the best squad..Even a Brazilian professor acknowledge that Argentina team is better than the current Brazilian team..Neymar is no Ronaldino, Oascar is no Rivaldo, Fred is no Ronaldo, Bernard and Lucas are no Denelson, Thiago is no Lucio, Paulinho is no Edmilson, and Gustavo and Ramires are no Kaka..Just saying

This Brazilian squad is average compare to past teams..Guys like Robinho, Kaka, Adriano, Ronaldinho in their prime would have made this Brazilian team unbeatable on home soil for this year world cup, this team is the weakest Brazilian team ever assembled together...

Just wait and see how this Brazilian team will crack when they go a goal or two down at the world cup, with the riot and everything, I wouldn't be surprise if the fans turn against them..I know for sure there will be organize Brazilian groups ready to boo their own team whenever the opportunity comes there way..

arg2014 Mexico and Chile are not my favorite teams, its just that whenever I say they have a better chance against Brazil than your European buddies you get irritated..Here is a little Mexico vs Brazil history for you..

1999 Mexico 4 vs Brazil 3

2001 Mexico 3 vs Brazil 3

2003 Mexico 0 vs Brazil 0

2003 Mexico 1 vs Brazil 0

2005 Mexico 1 vs Brazil 0

2007 Mexico 2 vs Brazil 0

2012 Mexico 2 vs Brazil 0

Most of these wins were against Brazil in tournaments, so as you can see that's why Brazil will be taking Mexico seriously..As I said, even when playing against a struggling Mexican team (who as you said ''struggled to qualified for the world cup") at last year Confed cup, Brazil was not convincing against them and could only won by 2 - 0 yet in the same tournament Brazil blew away Italy by 4 goals and Spain by 3 goals..All I am saying is respect the American teams.So too the likes of Honduras, don't forget Spain was not truly impressive against Honduras back in 2010,don't get me wrong now, I am not saying Honduras will be a force at the world cup, the thing is these teams are playing in their elements which will suit them, so they will be tricky for opponents, same goes for Costa Rica who defeat Spain in San Juan..Costa Rica will give England, Italy and Uruguay a run for their money in the group stage.

star studded midfields THERES NO STAR LIKE DIMARIA ,LET ALONE MESSI in any single other team and masch is no..1 out n out DM on earth with kun etc dropping back and or attacking with speed i just dont see any other team with this power

banega on his day destroyed barcalona on his own we have the best squad its that simple

C'MON GUYSLet's talk about something else. Can't wait to start it. Technically our WC is Starting from tomorrow. I really liked the way our boys is working. They suppose to train at 26th but some of then still working in gym under Sabella and some of them are working on tactics. Obviously we have a weak side (which I wish I am wrong ) LB so I think Rojo knew about that and he came to Sabella and was talking about some work. Really good spirit from our team

arg2014 i see your point. But i think that we should take into consideration the fact that the period of time we played Romania was quite strange for the players. There is a possibility that players had their mind to their respective leagues and champions league affecting their performance. Note this is not an excuse, i hate excuses, but i also don't like reaching to a conclusion without keeping in mind all possible factors. To me Argentina proved during qualifiers that at last play as solid unit, as a team, and not as a bunch of extraordinary individuals, something that was missing for years if you ask me. And yes i have watched the previous world cups and what i can tell you is that having the best team is not always enough, there are other factors such as luck, players form, fair refs that can affect a match or a whole tournament.

Kid, I`m not shy to admit that the most prepared team today is Brazil. Whether you like it or not.....this is my opinion, and I repeat: Out of all 32 teams, Brazil is Ready and warmed up.....part of it the host status, part of it hiring a world cup winner manager, part of it the narrative status of brazil hosting and losing in 1950. They have the best defence line up.....defenders that can score. I`m not like you, when I see a well prepared team, I admire it even if it is our rival. It`s true and even Sabella knows that Brazil come out all ready for the big stage.

Friendlies: I always say friendlies are the lab of experiments. Sabella did experiment a lot....see how many friendlies have we played prior to Romania`s game......most against average or weak opponent which was perfect because you don`t have to show your plans to big teams. Sabella is good in selecting his friendlies opponents.

But.....if you have watched all world cups....the last friendly game (FIFA Day in March)....it is a show case for every manager to show the nation his final rehearsal before the real tournament and also to pick his selection based on it. It is the most important friendly before revealing the list of players. We didn't play against a giant team, and with all our stars + best player in the world we were unable to solve Romania`s puzzle. Tactics failed somehow. We said here, we hope Sabella learned something from this game. Was it really that important game....Absolutely.....its the final rehearsal before taking the stage since players could hit it hard and still have time for injury rehab whereas in our next friendlies, players can`t play to their limit just a few days before their first game on June 12. Did you get my point why March friendly game we played was a let down !!!

Arg2014 Mexico defeat Brazil at the 2007 Copa yet our Argentina did not win against Brazil in the same tournament...Just please stop underestimating the local American teams...This is 2014 not 1970 where the world cup is usual a routine thing for the BIG teams..

arg2014 There you go again, leaving out the history between the teams..Mexico and Brazil are rivals, they have a history between them..Mexico was going through there worse period in 2013 and Brazil could only manage to win by 2 - 0 at the Confed cup and the crowd was also nervous up until Brazil scored the first goal..The Mexican team have improved a lot this year and the return of Rafael Marquez have stabilized their defense...The Brazilian team and Scolari are taking the Mexican game very serious although its the last game they will play in the group....For you everything comes down to who is playing in Europe and who play for what big European club...Just remember, Mexico have beaten Brazil the most out of all international teams, including our beloved Argentina over the past 25 years..Germany and Spain have never beaten Brazil at the world cup and I don't see that changing this summer on the South American continent of all places...The only teams on your list that have a decent winning record against Brazil are Argentina and France...

"Brazil was able in a short time- through their coaching staff and without qualification process, able to come up with a balanced strong team and match the expectation of their nation of hosting the event and win it at home".

That's right. without qualificaton process. Keep in mind that turning to a strong team in the extent you think my friend, which means the best team for you as far as i consider, without qualification process which requires mental strength to withstand difficult circumstances like psychological pressure to gain qualification points under the toughest qualification process in the world and in the most unfavourable stadiums like La Paz and Quito, seems quite questionable to me if you ask me.

Brasil did not have the psychological pressure, they were practising by only playing friendlies. This is not the best thing for a team to build a strong character and gain the balls to withstand difficult circumstances. I am not saying that Brasil are not one of the favorites, i am trying to express my thoughts that playing only friendlies is not enough for a team to build a character. Keep also in mind that being the hosts could be a double edged knife.

I also want to ask something. Do friendly games mean anything, because if they do due to the Romania game, then Argentina beat Brasil twice, beat Germany, Italy as well! If they don't mean anything then why you are refering so frequently to the friendly with Romania?? We have to decide.I will tell you something though. There are no friendlies between rivals, they may not be the same as a tournament, but they are not meaningless for neither team!

There's no harm expressing our optimism about our favorite team here. Even if it's beyond logic, I still find it welcome. We tried so hard to keep that favorites tag off our team, but could we? Go and check all the betting syndicates and football experts talking, they all are considering Argentina as one of the top 3 contenders in Brazil.

The fact is Argentina will always be one of the favorites in a world cup. No team is ever perfect. If great leagues could produce great world cup stars, England would be playing world cup finals most of the time.

Yes Spain and Germany have more star-studded midfields. But in football, you cannot play 6 midfielders at a time.So there's no use having some 15 brilliant midfielders in your squad if you can't really play them. You need 4 of them in a match. Period.

Now who are our 4? Mascherano, our defensive midfielder. One of the best in the world. A regular (and only consistent) CB for Barcelona is good enough for a defensive midfielder, don't you think? He was our captain even 3 years back. Who is our attacking midfielder? Lionel Messi. No one plays football better than him. There's only player better than Messi - a hungry Messi. The same guy who will turn up in Brazil.Who is our 3rd midfielder playing beside him? Angel Di Maria. The best player in the best club in Europe, that says it all.

That leaves us with the last and 4th midfielder. You guys underrate Gago, but I have friends who would love Argentina to lose badly in Brazil (real Argentina haters), and even they say Gago is a crisp central midfielder. What if he gets injured? We do have backups for a 4th midfielder as well. The names are Ever Banega (who can do playmaking of the highest standard), Maxi Rodriguez (the experience says it all), Lucas Biglia (watch that Uruguay match again and you know what he is), Enzo Perez (a livewire for Benfica, one of their key midfielders), Ricky Alvarez and Augusto Fernandez (who aren't pushovers either). Who says we lack quality options?

I will repeat what I have been saying. We should now just sit and pray all these players are in form and fitness in Brazil. We have a coach who will never say Muller who (like Maradona did before that Germany disaster). Sabella respects his opponents, but would not let them smile free of cost. World cup winning coaches do not always make the right decisions. Look at the Brazil squad for example, Scolari has made a complete mess of it.

If that 2010 team under Maradona can make it to the quarterfinals, I don't see a reason why this present team wouldn't progress further!! Period.

Pep I agree with you on every point..After this world cup though, the world will recognize Argentina back-line..Greats are made at the world cup not during the UCL football..Our back line will come good at the world cup, and the entire world will witness how good our defense is not just. ''ok.'' That's how I like it, guys like Fernandez, Rojo, Basanta (although not that young) will surprise and make names for themselves because they're not talk about a lot in Europe which goes well for them, the same for guys like Ricky, Biglia etc..This world cup is just poised for Argentina players to outshine the Europeans..

I don't see Mexico a good rival for Brazil this time....perhaps last world cup, not this time around.....Teams like Argentina, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, France, Portugal, Colombia can go head to heat with them.

arg2014 Sorry All I saw was FIFA handed Brazil the confederation cup so that they could have the world cup ready on time..Brazil winning the Confederation cup was just to tame the riots in Brazil..Blatter and FIFA don't care what happen in Brazil after this world cup, just to let you know..Neymar was flopping around at the Confed cup every single time he got touch, just wait and see if that play book will work at the world cup with guys like Howard Webb and others officiating games...Brazil will not get any favors at this world cup, don't kid yourself..They're likely going to play a tough second round game and anything can happen during the knockouts...And I assure you that Mexico will bring there A game against Brazil at this summer world cup, like they always do at tournaments before when they play Brazil..

Naw, this is not about ''I told you so''..I have no doubt friends, you guys may have doubts but I don't..I remember during the NBA final last season when the Heats were down at home against the Spurs in the dying seconds and then all of a sudden a lot of fans were heading through the gates at the American Airline arena but the true fans stayed seated to witness an epic come back by the Heats in the last seconds, you see I am that type of fan,(I will never walk out on the Argentina NT) I will support the team even when they're down, not only when they're winning..I support this Argentina team at all times, you don't think I have witness a lot of disappointments in the past, if I was a week minded fans like some people I would have throw in the towel along time ago..

Kid: Argentina is one of the favorites now and you can see it on every world cup blog.....In my own opinion: Argentina, Spain, Germany, etc....are all favorites, however I only see Brazil as the complete ready product for this tournament before it kicks off.

Brazil was able in a short time- through their coaching staff and without qualification process, able to come up with a balanced strong team and match the expectation of their nation of hosting the event and win it at home. Not saying Brazil is unbeatable, but I'm certain that FIFA will make sure to give them a pass to the Semi final at least, and after that they are on their own regardless if they deserve it or no. Don't get surprised to see some favoritism by referees towards them especially in the knock out stage and if they are about to stumble.....They are the host, Brazil is the host.....WE all know it's a strong team, but with the boost of referring decisions, this will become a hard to beat group by other teams. I'm just preparing you mentally before you get a shock.

Now, on a bright note, you have to be not just strong, but super super strong to beat the Brazilians at their home and take the trophy away from a nation that has been dying to win it after years of preparations, sacrifices and anticipations. If Argentina or other team can obtain this status, then Brazil will have to settle for the 3rd or 4th place and riot will make the headlines of news. In reality though, Brazil is a giant standing at the entrance of a gate that all other big teams try to invade. Unfortunately happy go lucky attitude won't do much in this occasion, rather hard work planning and over the top management.

Another thing, Romania did not play park bus football against us. Guys move on from this game..Aguero and Higauin had several chances to score..Aguero of all person missing a sitter..All I see in the Romania game was that our guys did not show up for the match only Romero to some extent..What was Romania to gain playing park bus football? These guys were trying to impress there coach for the upcoming Europe 2016 qualifiers so why would they play negative football, all I saw was that the Romanian team was organize..If guys here call the Romania game park bus football, then you absolutely don't know what is park bus football..

Argentina played 4-3-3 formation..

Romania played 4-4-2 formation..

Park bus is what Simeone use after he send Sosa on yesterday trying to defend a 1 - 0 lead changing his system to 4-5-1..This formation is park bus set up, not the formation Romania used.Argentina was just off that day, and majority of the guys haven't played together since the game against Sweden.

None of these guys will be able to run as much as Di Maria at this summer world cup..The way I saw how Di Maria was running at high altitude in La Paz - Bolivia and,Quito - Ecuador is really a frightening prospect for the European teams facing us, they better watch out for this force coming at there defense at 90 miles per hour every second of the game..

I don't care what people say, Argentina for me have the most excited squad going into the world cup, and if we play to our potential, there will be no stopping us..We are Argentina, the same country that made 25 passes that led to a goal , not even Spain or Barcelona could pull off such feat..We are Argentina the land of Maradona, Kempes,Ardiles etc Why should we fear our opponent on our home continent? Respect is one thing and fear is another thing, but how I see it is that guys like arg2014 fear teams like Spain, Germany, Holland etc which I dont..I have no shame in saying Argentina is better than our rivals..This is our time, the year of Messi & Sabella, who will bring us a world cup after waiting for so long..So yes, I am really excited about this cup, my joy already is so overwhelm...With God grace Messi will be world cup champion, the most humble player I have ever seen in my life time, second to Messi is Kaka in the humble department..

Guys like arg2014 and EL Principe why you always bring up Chile and Alexis whenever you refer to me on a post, do I look like I am supporting Chile? I don't care about what Chile does at the world cup for pete sake(as long as they top group B lol)..I like Alexis, there is nothing wrong with that, I am sure Messi and Alexis are good buddies, the same too for Dani Alves..When Messi said he voted for Neymar, Inietsa and Xavi for world player of the year. I did not see any outrage here about Messi voting for Neymar? Argentina possible rival at this summer world cup.

Agree with me are not, this Argentina squad is one of the best I have ever seen put together on a pitch since I have been supporting this team..Some guys here like to say how Palacio and lavezzi are useless(you know your name lol) I can assure you that Lavezzi and Palacio would walk into these teams with ease; England, Belgium,Italy, France, Germany,Holland, Uruguay, Colombia, Bosnia, Croatia, Mexico,USA..

It is a great asset to have di maria on the team.. he has gotten tremendously better throughout the years and is now undoubtedly the best winger in the world.. He also helps the defense too which is very rare to see from attacking players.. He can cover the entire pitch without getting tired and can turn the game with his wicked pace and turn..

Some reporters are using the romania game as an example of argentina's failure which is absolutely hilarious. that was a friendly match and our players were busy and tired with their league matches.. Brazil lost against switzerland,, now are you going to say that Brazil will struggle against croatia,mexico??? it's an absolute joke.. these friendlies decide absolutely nothing.. that same reporter also says that no matter how great a player messi is,, he will never find a "home"... these ball-washing paparazzis have nothing else to do in their pathetic lives other than launching smear campaigns against famous players.. Maradona handled these bastards perfectly,, he took an air rifle and shooted straight to their faces.. these parasites even went to the surgery room in 2004 when Maradona was battling between life and death.. they have absolutely no shame and dignity and they go tremendous lengths to destroy the image of a player.. if Messi was an extrovert like Maradona then these idiots wouldn't have written such moronic shit.. but like always,, Messi will talk ON THE PITCH and silence these bastards once and for all..

im getting tired ofbthe phaze park the bus being used OVER AND OVER AND OVER can we please stop over using that childish saying and more importantly saying it were it has ZERO to do with anything

romania parked NO BUS it was a shitty freindly at a shitty part of the season when almost every single argentina player had FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON AT CLUB LEVEL or were returning from injuries

there was no bus parked in that game we had at least 20 CLEAR CUT CHANCES TO SCORE we simply didnt as there was tired and players walking around saving there energy for champs leage etc

STOP MAKING THINGS UP ....Higuain wasnt in form and returning from injuries, messi was injured returning gago also ,and it was played at the most bussy part of the season...

these results are with no training time at all we now have far far far more prep time a complete squad and not to much traveling to do and every game now matters

I love argentina and our chances..but every one here that is saying this guy is the best in the world ....we all better hope that he doesn't lay a turd as he has for us countless times with the NT. He is the creative midfielder and if the forwards don't get fed we can all agree who to point the finger to. My expectations are that he runs for his life against ALL the opponents we face, not just the little sisters of the poor in this WC.

agree with elpipita Romania didn,t stop fantastic 4 we got so many chances to score but we are off that nigt may be due to being friendly, but fantastic 4 is still the most devastating attack in the world

@el principe I have to disagree with you and everyone else who says that Romania stopped the albicelestes by parking the bus because while it is true that they parked the bus (especially in the second half) it was the fab 4 themselves who were completely off their game that day (not to mention awful displays froom Gago and Masch).Argentina had 6 golden chances to score, which tells me that Romania couldn't shut our boys down.

The fantastic 4 are devastating when they hit their stride and put on their scoring shoes and the only thing that can stand in their way is them is themselves really.

I'm just wondering y every1 is blaming Sosa for atleticos loss yesterday . In my opinion he has nothing to do with it... While I agree he is a player with below average technical ability for an argentinean attacking midfielder nd no creativity watso ever, yet he is one of the strongest physical players in the team... That's wat simeone nd sabella like about him; he is important in preserving a teams lead becoz simply he is a tough leading defender in the oppositions half... For example yesterday although he entered as a sub he had at least 4 successful tackles where he regained possession for athletico, only Gabi had more outside athleticos defense!

Having said this I don't prefer a player like Sosa in our World Cup team becoz I don't like this preserving the lead strategy, becoz at any time u can concede a goal fm a set piece nd lose everything like wat happened yesterday nd wat happened to us in 2006 World Cup when pekerman left all substituted all attacking creative players in order to preserve the lead nd we conceded a goal in the dying minutes depriving us of any hope in winning the game in extra time...

So playing Sosa is only useful in order to preserve a 1 goal lead but it's also a double edged weapon:1. He can strengthen our defense in the dying minutes of the match.2. U will lose a creative offensive player in his place nd in case u concede a goal fm a set piece the result will be fatal!

Finally,My 3 chosen players with the confirmed 20 will be:1. Otamendi becoz we need speed at the back against fast teams. Currently the fastest player in Argentina defense is rojo nd if we don't add otamendi to the team we could face problems against fast offensive players 2. Ricky becoz simply he is the best replacement for the fabulous 4 when protecting a lead becoz he can defend while creating some creativity at the offense.3. Perez mainly due to gagos injury possibility nd mascherano discpline... We need a strong defensive midfielder along with bigilia if both players missing.

@Deb A few times We played with our Big4 (Messi,Aguero,Higuain,Di Maria) and We didn,t win (Romania,Uruguay.. Why? Because our rival has been prepared to stopping our Big4. Then in every good team there's a need moment (man) of surprise. ALvarez, Banega and Sosa don't make positive difference.

And I think Sabella gives a lot of importance to winners. Had Man City not won that English league, I don't think he would have called Demichelis to his team. Going by that logic, I think he will finally exclude Sosa now and look beyond him.

I think I agree with el principe. Sosa would not be a good addition to our squad by any stretch of imagination. Of course he is physical and strong and all that, but we need someone who, at least on his best day, would make a little bit of difference to our game. Sosa may never do that.

El Principe, a splendid analysis on Di Maria. I wouldn't ever compare him to any other winger, the likes of Ribery, etc. He is the most versatile and ductile player roaming in the midfields nowadays.

A winger always tries to create occasions for the teammates. I was almost in screams of joy when he zig-zaged all the Atletico defence and on seeing the poor defenders playing dirty with him. Of course, you cannot stop one like him otherwise.

I don't see any other team now buying Di Maria, as first of all Real doesn't get rid of him that easy, being one of their fundamental players and secondly, no team suit to his style of play and talent, except for example, Borussia.

I see a bright future for this player and we are blessed to have him in our team. I think in the future, after he gets 30 years old, I very much see him as a Xavi or Pirlo style of player.

I think it is really bad choice by Sabella that he didn't picked up second midfielder a la Di Maria (Salvio, Gaitan). What if our base formations with 3 forwards will be fails at some game in WC. Then We need try with 4th midfielder. But who? Alvarez, Banega, Sosa - it's a joke. Their playing is really poor (I'm changing my mind about Sosa - after him recently game). So We don't have really brilliant offence midfielder on the bench.I'm watching now our game against Saudi Arabia when We start with Salvio from beginning. That's the player...

DiMaria and Messi are our chief playmakers. I don't like this talk of player x is more important in the team than player y becoz Messi's role is to make play and score. Fideo's main role is to create attacks. So everyone is important for the team. One day, x will have a great game, then y will have an extra ordinary game and so on. @ Deb, I think Kun Aguero acknowledges Higuain's kill rate. So that's why he never mentioned him.

Agree with Richard. Di Maria is the only fantastic four who's in top form. However, I can feel Messi hunger to play for the national team after a nightmare season for Barca. I predict that equal to "good form".

Di Maria has always been underrated, not only by the whole FIFA, but also by us, the mundo albiceleste members. Do you notice that Di Maria never even made top 50 FIFA player of the year ever?

The overrated Mesut Ozil made it like 3 years in a row or something, but Di Maria never did. I always saw something special in him. I was one of very few here who never underestimated Di Maria ever. Even if he was unofficially chosen as the worst player of WC 2010 here by us.

I saw something different from most others here about him. As a winger/left midfielder, he always tries "killer ball" pass in which only around 50% of them turn into "successful pass". For most members here, he was judged as:1. a player with extremely poor decision making2. headless chicken

For me, I consider that as an attempt to destroy the opponent defense. A world class winger MUST have that kind of mentality (always try killer ball). Just like in basketball, a 3 point shooter must always attempt the trey.

Just like DI Maria's interview for Four Four Two magazine about his style:

Always be inventive“When teams are defending deep – ‘parking the bus’ – it’s important to stay relaxed and focus on keeping the ball moving and searching for the gaps. As a winger you have to keep doing what you’re there to do: run at someone, create a chance or draw a foul and deliver a cross into the area for the strikers. For wingers it’s important to try to be inventive: to do something different to beat the defenders and create a chance for your team.”

Creating chances is key

“Some wingers may be happy with dribbling past a few players but it’s important to remember you’re in the team to make chances for your team-mates. If you can make space for the forwards or play a pass for them to put them one-on-one with the goalkeeper, that’s when you’ve really done your job. Fast wingers can beat defenders. The best wingers make goalscoring chances.”

I agree with him in the last part he said especially, "The best wigers make goalscoring chances."

That mentality makes him one of the best left wingers today without doubt.

Last night, Di Maria was really smart. He saw that his area was covered by both Jose Sosa and Juan Fran. The first name was busy trying to be a hero by going forward often with his limited skills despite having his role set as "defend" by Simeone.

The second name, Juan Fran was limping and unable to even run. What Di Maria did was TAKING ADVANTAGE of that. He penetrated from the left getting past 2 players including that injured Juan Fran and caused Real Madrid decisive goal.

Congrats Di Maria. I hope you will get more love from Argentina fans now.

I am happyfor Di Maria, but I hate, that C. Ronaldo won CL. Ronaldo never scored something decisive in this CL, yet he scored 17 goals. Amazing piece of shit, I realli hope he fails in WC BIG TIME! (sorry about emotional and low IQ post)

I'm very shocked to see only the match officials has considered Di Maria as the MOTM.Funny thing to see is that some website has given Ronaldo higher rating than Di Maria.From my childhood I'm seeing that westerns deny and suppress every talent,every contribution which comes from non-westerns.I never understand why they have to be like this,giving honor and recognition to the worthy does not decrease your own honor,only increases.

Ppl think messi is over...but the truth is nowadays...teams have found ways to defend messi...ie by bringing 8 players in der own half and making their game compact and not giving space ie is when messi pulls back...but the truth is the real strength of messi comes in when he has a lot of space and der s 4 defenders in the front of him ie when his magic appears(not 8)...can b seen in his magic goal against brazil 4-3...i hope v are good in the counter attacks and sabella uses dis detail...very to his advantage...!!

If was not for Di Maria real madrid would of not won the game. I hope Di Maria have same performance with argentina what he did for real. You are fantastic player and hop you help argentina get the world cup. Vamos Argentina.

Guys please don't rate Di Maria correctly,always underrate him as a dumb.Say he is a headless chicken,he is overrated and such things.I suspect Cristina fans badmouthing and trouble making in our camp.I seriously fear that fact,,,What will be the answer if someone asks Maria after a man of the match performance in an important:"Do you think you don't get what you deserve???".I'm sure about the answer,,,but all of them are human(Thats a big problem).I pray to god(haha) that please save us from those situations.----If we are meeting Spain in the smis expect "Messi who?We are preparing our tactics for Angel" from that shithead Ramos

"Yes, why not? We have Lionel Messi, the best footballer on earth, in our side. He led us to the top of the list in qualifiers from the most difficult zone [Conmebol] with matches to spare.""We have an excellent forward line where [Ezequiel] Lavezzi and I will try to score more and we have wonderful midfielders to support us. We have the talent and ability to beat any side on a given day."

Interesting, he didn't mention Higuain there. Are there any plans or strategies we aren't yet aware of?

i dont know how to explain the real madrid win.They r so lucky to get goal in 90+ min.Why AM dint cover the post. They are the team who know only defending and tackling and pressing. They dont know what to do with the ball in the final third, villa and adrian are crap they just getting ball and their movement is slow and dont to know who to pass so RM easily recovering the ball. Finally about SOSA what a player he is ,he dont run dont defend and his passing worser than his face he just makes dimaria 's so easier to run and cross bcos he dont tackle he watches ball like refree and why the hell simeone replace garcia with him atleast cristian rodriguez could be a good choice, anyway congrats to LADECIMA

So, Di Maria deserves to be the best midfielder in the world now. He's style of play is like no other. Not an Iniesta, nor a Xavi. He's the most complete midfielder who covers the whole midfield area, dribble thru blocks and provides killer balls to the forwards upfront, as well as being the best player to apply the counter attacking system on the field.

Its fantastic result for Argentina...!Dimaria was superb in the final...that last minute play was awesome. He is a true champion.Dimaria with high confidence is a boost for Argentina at WC. Now other people realize that Argentina is not just Messi.

Final lose will only strength Simeone as a coach and he will try hard to be a champion.Its also a plus for Argentina.

Argentina will go as far as Di Maria takes us. Many people are relying on Messi , Koon, and Pipita to score a lot for Argentina to lift the WC. But i believe Di Maria is the engine of the National team.

congrats di maria for a fantastic performance in the u.c.l final and im really pleased to see di maria is in fantastic club form and not injured but it will mean not a lot to me unless he can do it for when it really matters and that's for our blue and white In yellow country very soon.